Integrity
by Witblogi
Summary: This away mission seems completely pointless to Uhura, she's hot, tired, sweaty, impatient - and running for her life


Just a little fic that's been bouncing around in my head.

I know there were no holodecks around in their time, but in this alternate reality for me there is, or maybe they're at a space station a few years into their mission yes?

* * *

**Integrity **

The sun was hot, too hot, beating down on Uhura's face without any reprieve. The fabric Starfleet used was durable, lightweight, wicked moisture, and insulated from hot and cold, but she'd lick the Captain's boots before she got the specs to prove it was doing dick-all in this heat. All she felt was itchy, uncomfortable, stupid, sweaty, and useless.

Why was she even on this away team? Surely, not all the chief of staff needed to be there, there wasn't one living presence to communicate with on this planet, nor– she stole a sideways glance to where Scotty was wiping his brow a bright pink colour on his cheeks– an engine needing repair. There was nothing but heat, and dusty orange rocks.

Kirk appeared to be frustrated but determined, McCoy bitching beside him as they made their way up to a rocky plateau to check the lie of the land and to see if they could figure a direction to go in, or anything at all really.

Uhura turned slowly, feeling a mucky form of tainted relief to no longer be pushing on in this environment but she was still unhappily without shade or a drink. All they had were the specifics they warranted for their positions, in her case the universal translator.

A familiar robotic jingle sounded a few paces away; Spock had a scientific tricorder in hand and was using it to try and find anything other than what he'd been picking up since they'd arrived. Mineral composition, gaseous balances in the atmosphere, it was always the same, everywhere monotony.

Spock of course was suffering the heat differently than the rest of them, his body processing it easier. He was physically at ease but- Uhura watched his tense movements as he pressed the wand of the instrument back into place- mentally he was having obvious difficulty.

It wasn't hard to figure out why; Vulcan had been composed of nearly the same environmental variables. This excursion was definitely triggering key memories to incredibly emotionally turbulent times in his life.

Uhura scowled, why were they there again?

Behind her, Scotty gave a shout and she turned to see him behind a few large stacked rock formations waving for them to come look. Kirk and McCoy turned to them, and gestured they should see what he was on about while they finished up on the plateau.

Usually the ensigns in the away team were the ones to go head first into things, poking their noses where they didn't belong, and look now, her and Scotty appeared to be the only ones wearing red on this mission, great.

Spock drew up along side her as they headed towards Scotty, his attention focused solely on his equipment, the little mechanical sounds it made were starting to get very annoying.

Scotty was saying something but they were too far away to hear him properly. He was excited obviously, his accent reaching unintelligible proportions.

"What are y-" Spock threw his arm out before her, halting her progress and words. She looked at him slightly annoyed and partly concerned. He did not look up.

" Readings indicate the structural integrity of our current location is unfavorable to further addition of mass," He was very tense now and not just because he was homesick. Uhura looked around trying not to move very much, the ground ahead of them appeared to drop off, Scotty had discovered some sort of ravine or cavern.

" What'r yeh waitin' fer then?" Scotty turned to see them frozen as they were. Spock looked at him, letting out an even yet audible breath.

" Mr. Scott it is imperative that you-" But Scotty wasn't listening and instead pulled a face and swung around to look at them properly, pressing one boot on top of a knee-high stone beside him. Clearly he intended to lean upon it, but his actions caused the ground around them to groan and shake mightily before he got the chance.

Uhura's heart starting beating faster and faster, she didn't know what to do, getting out of there was the most preferable option but she was frozen to the spot, feeling as if she moved any more she would cause a massive cave-in.

Scotty apparently had no such trouble. His face was pale as he scrambled away from the edge of the now deteriorating cliff. The rumbling was louder now, the dust rising as large clumps of rock, making up the formations beside them, began to shudder and fall. The ground was heaving and bucking, threatening to crack apart- she could hear Kirk's shouts far off behind her, but it was nothing compared to the shouting currently going on in her head.

Spock leapt into action then, pushing her back towards the plateau, she heard him speaking but couldn't process the words. She had one goal get to safety or die trying.

Spock then turned and went in the opposite direction, intent on rescuing Scotty from his sure doom. Uhura tried not to look over her shoulder, but she did; she had to see him ducking and weaving as he was through the flying debris. Her heart was beating wildly was this what it had been like on Vulcan? She felt like crying but couldn't manage to do anything except run.

The ground was shaking so much many of her steps faltered and her progress was slow, her balance next to nothing. Ahead of her Kirk and McCoy were trying to climb down the plateau and help but their attempts were useless. The sides of the great jutting rock kept falling away and leaving them stranded upon their own stable island.

Then suddenly Scotty was coughing beside her, and they were climbing up to a solid stretch of rock in a sea of churning dirt. She turned completely to see Spock still running towards them the ground collapsing from under his feet as soon as he took his next step. The cracks were gaining on him; he definitely wasn't going to make it. She gasped and choked watching the ground give beneath him and in his last bid for the stable area they had made it to, he pushed himself forward hands completely outstretched... fingers just catching the lip of a lower section of their rock.

Uhura scrambled to get him, ignoring Scotty's shouts that it was too dangerous. The rocks were still falling around her and even her grip on one she used to climb down loosened and fell away, dumping her painfully on the surface Spock desperately clung to. She winced holding her surely bruised shoulder as she sat up but then quickly moved to the edge, ignoring the sting of rock scraping her knees.

Looking over the edge she saw Spock was looking down, trying to find some edge upon which to jam his boot, but there was nothing and whatever he did find broke away under his weight.

She grabbed him by his wrists, garnering his attention, his face was dirty, eyes wide. She set her mouth and dug her weight into the ground intent on pulling him up. He continued to try and find purchase in which to help her boost him.

Unlike the movies, there was no time or breath for some romantic last words, no squishy matt waiting below for the catch just incase. Uhura grunted with effort her eyes squeezed shut, she would not witness his death, not if she could help it.

And then he found a hard rock to support him and pushed, launching them both onto the rock surface behind her. He was sprawled upon her, his face in her neck. Her hands were still clutching his wrists her heart thumping hard in her chest, a faster echo of it pounding against her stomach from his.

It was then, as she took in a deep breath of dusty air that she realized they weren't dead, it was over, rocks weren't falling, the rumbling had ended and their fellow away team members were whooping far above them.

Uhura then started to laugh, and laugh, her body feeling completely broken but her spirit light, flying.

Spock shifted, pressing on the heels of his hands to pull up and look down at her as she laughed.

Around them the rocks began to fade.

" Simulation Complete," the sterile female voice of the computer told them as they were returned to the blank grey walls of the holodeck.

" Jesus Christ!" McCoy was tromping over to them whipping his tricorder out to scan them. Spock leaned back into a kneel allowing her to sit up before him. She'd yet to relinquish her grip on his wrists, somewhere far off in the back of her mind it was because she was afraid if she let go he'd vanish.

" What was Starfleet trying to do besides getting our chief officers all simultaneously killed?!" he groused dropping to his knees beside them, scanning Uhura first, his scanner hovering beside her right temple.

" I believe the simulation was a replication of the circumstances that culminated in the destruction of Vulcan. Familiarity with these events will aide in rescue missions and prevent further undue loss." Spock noted without looking up, McCoy furrowed his brow and hmed.

" Lieutenant, I need you to say something," he said but Uhura didn't respond. Kirk and Scotty shifted behind them, looking ragged and worn out but concerned.

" Lieutenant, you must say something to discern you are not in acute shoc-"

" Shut up," she whispered, how could he, any of them, be so calm? She tightened her fingers on his wrists further, " Shut up," she murmured again with feeling, moving in to press her dry lips desperately to his.

McCoy huffed loudly beside them, she ignored it. This was her moment, their moment, she would never get used to the feeling of scraping out of life or death situations. Spock luckily indulged her in her need for "physical assurance of mutual affection and appreciation" if they had been in any other company she felt he probably would have turned away. But as they weren't, his lips were pliable beneath hers, pressing and grasping back into her kiss.

"Yeah, yeah, Spock two, crumbling planet zero. Lets get the hell out of here already," Kirk groused loudly, stomping to the door, which slid open with a hiss. He was followed by Scotty and then McCoy as he lugged his medkit out the door grumbling about a shower and never being appreciated.

When Uhura finally opened her eyes again, their foreheads were pressed together. Her hands had loosened about his wrists, slipping so she held his hands instead, her thumbs resting in the middle of his palms.

" Thank you," he breathed his voice too low to really carry the emotion she knew he possessed. She sighed a laugh.

" Shut up," she smiled and kissed him again.


End file.
